Second Heatbeat
by simonxriley
Summary: Just a collection of Call of Duty one-shots.
1. Make Me Like You

**A/N This is just a one-shot right now but I might make it into a full fledged story. if you guys would like let me know!**

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Roach was sat outside, watching the sun set. He was never the one to do this, then again he had a lot on his mind and needed a place to think. A few months after he joined the 141, he started having feeling for his superior, Ghost. Never once acting up on those feeling, deciding it would be much better to stay friends than perhaps ruin their relationship if Ghost found out the truth.

Everything was going great, he hadn't told Ghost the truth in the 4 years he's been there. The only one on base that knew of his crush was Soap. And he kept it a secret. Things were normal for Gary and Simon...that was, until last night.

They finally cracked the intel they found at one of Makarovs safehouses. It took almost 2 weeks. So Soap though it was the perfect opertunity to celebrate. With everyone in agreement, they made there way outside, while Price grabbed the beer.

The 'party' was going well, everyone was laughing and talking amongst each other. It was a good thing the op wasn't for another few days since Roach was the only one that decided to get shitfaced and not drink in moderation, like his friends were doing. It was getting dark and Gary noticed Ghost was missing, so he in his drunken state decided to go look for him. That was the last thing he remembered until he woke up next to him...naked.

A very confused and shocked Gary didn't know what to do. Should he stay in bed with the man he so clearly loves? Or should he sneak out now and go back to his room? He decided it was best to go back to his room and not deal with any questions he might have to endure in the morning. Sleep did not coma for Gary after that, he stayed awake lying in his bed trying to fugure out what happened. All he could remember is going to find Ghost saying he's missing the party..."I'll just avoid him tomorrow, that's what I'll do." and he did just that...until night decided to come. He knew Ghost would no doubt be looking for him. Sitting in silence thinking of what he should say, Ghost obviously knew now. Should he just tell him the truth? Or blame it on his drunken state?, either way it's not gonna be easy. Roaches peacful brainstorming came to a halt when he heared the door open. Glancing over to see who was disturbing him, he saw the man he was trying to avoid...Ghost.

"Here you are, I've been trying to find you all bloody day" Ghost was mad, very mad...Great.

"Sorry" was the only thing Gary could muster up. Ghost walked over and sat down right next to him, which didn't help Gary's nerves.

"Sorry? Wait, this is about last night isn't it?" He asked

"Yeah" Gary said.

"So you've been avoiding me because we had sex?" Ghost gave a small laugh. "If it would make you feel better, I've known about your little crush for a while now."

"WHAT, and you didn't say anything?" Gary was now feeling even more vulnerable than when Ghost first came out here. He knew, he knew about gary's crush all this time...

"I was waiting to see if you would make the first move, and last night was it." Ghost seemed please by this.

"First move? Are you insinuating that this is a mutual thing? Or?" Gary asked, hopeing he was. Ghost looked away from Gary, searching for the right words to say. He sighed and turned back to look Gary in the eyes.

"Yes. I am."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Gary asked.

"We've known each other for a while now right?"

"4 years, so yes we have."

"And you know I'm not much of a people person?"

"Yeah, you do seem to avoid some people." Gary said.

"Yeah" he gave a small chuckle almost inaudiable behind his balaclava "It easier not to get attached to people, especially in this line of work. Then you joined and ruined everything." It was Gary's turn to laugh, he ruined Ghost reason for avoiding people? With Ghost mentioning that he did notice Ghost seemed to only really talk to a few people, Soap and Gary for the most part and Price when he has too.

"I'm terribly sorry" Gary gave a mockapology.

"You should be." They stayed in silent for a while, a re-cap of last night going through Ghost's head, while Gary was thinking of all the unsaid things he's wanted to tell the man sitting next to him.

"So where does this lead us?" Gary asked, curious more than anything. Ghost turned to look at Gary before saying the words Gary only dreamed of.

"I'm game, if you are?" Gary nearly choked on air.

"Really? You sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Let's just keep this between us for now. Don't need Soap giving us the...mission first, emotions second shite."

"Agreed." After almost 4 years of having feeling for Ghost, it turns out Ghost feels the same. Gary couldn't help the smile grace his face.

"You want to head inside, it's getting bloody cold out?" Ghost asked.

"Definitely." They made there way to the door. Ghost stopping before turning the knob.

"What's wrong?" Gary asked.

"Nothing, it's just..." Next thing, Ghost pulled up his balaclava to reveal his mouth and part of his nose. Leaning down to make his and Gary's lips meet.

"Okay, let's head in" Ghost said but Gary was to infatuated with what just happened that he didn't hear what Ghost has said. Snapping out of it he turned to Ghost who was waiting by the door..

"Uh, what?"

"You ready to go inside or are you gonna stand there like a lovesick puppy?" Ghost asked

"Coming" Gary jogged over to Ghost who was slightly laughing at his flustered state. Ghost opened the door and the both walked in. A lot has happened in the past 24 hours but Gary couldn't be happier. They decided to go get a coffee in the rec-room, sitting down in blissful silence since no one was in there...until Gary decided to break the silence when he looked at Ghost and asked...

"What exactly happened last night? Cause I don't remember anything."


	2. The 141

**Summary: It's Roach's first day on base and he ends up rooming with a guy who wear's a skull printed balaclava.**

 **A/N: This is suppose to be when TF 141 was recruiting.**

It was the first day on base for the recruits of Task Force 141. Sgt Gary "Roach" Sanderson was making his way to his room. With his duffel bag in one hand and a piece of paper with the room number in the other. Glancing at the door numbers his destination was near. "21, 22, 23, ah 24. Here we are." said Gary to no one in particular. He wasn't sure if his room mate was there or not, opening the door he got his answer. The other man stood a little over 6 feet, and wore a skull printed balaclava. The other man turned his attention to the door and nodded when Gary walked in, shutting the door behind him. Gary dropped his bag on the other bed.

"Nice balaclava. The name's Gary." Gary held out his hand.

"Thank's and Riley or you can call me Ghost." said Ghost, he shook his hand and resumed unpacking his bag. Gary turned to do the same. The room was an okay size. There was a bed on each side of the room, 2 small night stands and a dresser. Gary didn't bring much since he knew he was going to be in his fatigues most of the time. Going into the side pocket to take out a picture, he placed it on the night stand. Deciding he wasn't in the mood for unpacking, he pushed his bag against the wall and sat down. He glanced over at the picture and smiled. It was taken back when he was on leave before he came here. It's of him, his parents and his brothers. He loves the work he does, but he does miss his family a lot sometimes. Gary looked over and saw Ghost pull out a few other balaclava's from his bag, they were all different colors. "Are those custom made?" asked Gary.

"Yeah, they are. I had them made before I came here. I have one for every terrain." said Ghost. Ghost sat down and kick his bag under his bed. What Gary could tell, he didn't have any personal items, besides his balaclava's, but no pictures. "Wow. That awesome." He wasn't lying, they were pretty great. And one for every terrain, geez, don't want to know how much that cost him.

"Don't take this the wrong way mate, but you're American and you're apart of the S.A.S?" asked Ghost. Gary laughed a little. It was an interesting story on how he got to be apart of the S.A.S.

"Yeah. It's kind of a funny story." said Gary. Ghost maneuvered himself so his back was against the backboard of his bed. "I'd like to hear it. It's not everyday you find out a yank is apart of the S.A.S."

"It was a buddy of mine that dared me to do it. We were out for drinks and he mentioned about that the S.A.S had the biggest drop out rate compared to every elite task force. So my dumbass didn't believe him. Later that night, we looked up to see if Americans were suitable to join and my ass was on a plane to England for the next recruitment. That was the hardest thing I have ever gone through, but it was rewarding at the end. I ended up getting in and I stayed ever since."

"What did that mate of yours do?"

"Well he owed me a grand since he was so sure I wasn't going to make it."

"It's well earned mate." said Ghost

"That it is. So how did you get recruited for the 141?" asked Gary.

"General Shepherd. There's more to the story than that, it's pretty personal." Gary nodded. Prying wasn't his style and he just met the man. He liked this Ghost guy, but he wondered what he looked like under the balaclava. It would be pretty disrespectful to ask him to take it off. "That your family?" asked Ghost who was pointing to the picture.

Gary smiled. "Yeah. We took it before I came here."

"It's nice."

"Thanks. What about you and your family?" asked Gary. He cursed himself for asking that question, he didn't want to seem nosy. The balaclava question was different since he saw them. Ghost didn't have any pictures that he knew of, for all he knew the family question could be a sore subject.

"My parents died a few years ago. I'm an only child by the way."

"I'm sorry." said Gary.

"I'm not." Gary wasn't expecting that to come out. He didn't know what to say, deciding it was best not to say anything at all. He watched Ghost open a book and start reading. Tomorrow was their first day of training, he wondered what Ghost was like with a gun in his hand. There were still a handful of light hours left and he didn't want to spend it in his room. "I'm heading out, you wanna come?"

"Nah mate I'm good."

Gary left the room. Today was the 'move in' day. He thought it would be nice to meet some new people. If he got in, he would be seeing these people everyday. He met some people by the names of Archer, Royce, Ozone and Chemo. They spent the rest of the day in the cafeteria, talking about their family's and how they got to be here. When night came, they all decided it was a good idea to call it a night. Gary was heading back to his room, when he turned the corner he ended up bumping into someone. "Shit, sorry sir. I should be more careful" said Gary. The other man was picking up the folder he dropped when they bumped into each other. He noticed he had a mohawk.

"You're good mate. I should be the one watching where I'm going. Captain MacTavish by the way." He held out his hand.

"Sergeant Gary Sanderson. It's nice to meet you Captain." Gary shook his hand. So this was Captain MacTavish. He was younger than Gary expected. He looked to be in his early to mid 30's. And Scottish.

"Aye. You too. How you settling in?" asked Captain MacTavish.

"Good Sir."

"That's good. You should get some rest, we have a busy day tomorrow."

"Will do Sir." Gary and Captain MacTavish went their separate ways. Walking into his room, he noticed Ghost was gone. He probably went to go get something to eat or decided to go mingle, he thought. Gary stripped out of his clothes, staying in just his t-shirt and boxer. Laying down on his bed, he put one of his arms behind his head and stared up at the ceiling.

"I think I'm going to like it here."


	3. Christmas Eve

**A/N: If you know the comics then you know Ghost's family was murdered on or around Christmas Eve (I'm using the actual date for canon in this little tidbit). When this song came out in October my mind went to Ghost. Hope you enjoy.**

 **Side Note: Italics are song lyrics and the song is Christmas Eve by Gwen Stefani.**

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 _'I can't see in this darkness_

 _So in need of forgiveness_

 _Before all of my faith dies_

 _Show me the way like a northern light'_

Ghost sat in his room with a bottle of vodka in his hand. It was that time of year again. Christmas Eve. The time where his despair and regret came flooding in. It's been three years. Three years since he lost his family. He took another swig, grimacing at the taste. "I should have able to protect them. Dad was right, I am worthless." Tear's flooded his eyes. He took one last swig before slamming it on the table. Getting up and headed outside. He took a breath of fresh air. Looking up at the star filled sky.

"I'm sorry. I said I would protect you and I failed." Tears started to slide down his cheeks. Ghost used to long for the holidays, ever since the birth of his nephew. That little guy made everything enjoyable. He was proud of his younger brother. Proud that he straightened his life out and settled down with a beautiful family. All he wanted was to protect his family. He didn't ask for this. He didn't ask for his family to be taken from him. "I should've known something was wrong with Sparks and Washington. I should've..."

The tears started to pour down. He fell on his knees, put his face in his hands and curled in on himself. All Simon wanted was a better life for his family. He helped get them away from his abusive father and helped get his younger brother clean. But all it took was a so called friend to change all of that. Three years ago, he thought vengeance would help the pain. It did, for a while, until that dreadful day came along. Now with no family to go home too, he stay's on base and drinks away his pain. He wishes he died with them and that he didn't have to go on with the constant pain of regret. But here he was, still among the living. He thought it was a cruel joke. With a tear staind face he looked back up at the star filled sky.

 _'I'm looking for you on Christmas Eve_

 _All over the world the angels sing_

 _But I'm feeling lost can you save me_

 _I'm looking for you on Christmas Eve_

 _I'm looking for you on Christmas Eve'_

"Please? Just...anything?" Simon wasn't a believer, he tried praying when he was younger. To make God take away his father. He learned quickly that things didn't work out like that. But when he was at his lowest, he found himself on his knees. Praying to God or his family, he didn't know. He only wanted a sign. A sign on why he should keep going. Nothing. Like always.

The tears started to pour down again, he curled back in on himself. Rocking back and forth in hope's of calming himself. Eventually he did, he wiped away the tears from his eye's and headed back to his room. Slamming and locking the door behind him, he grabbed the bottle and downed the rest. Walking into his bathroom, he turned on the light and looked at himself in the mirror. His eye's were red, he figured they would be. His hand went over the scar on the left side of his face. A reminder of the past. He sighed. Turning on the tap, he splashed cold water over his face. Patting himself dry, he turned off the light and walked back into the room.

Crashing face first onto the bed, he maneuvered himself so he was on his back. Staring up at the ceiling, he let his mind wonder. Hoping to ease his mind enough to sleep. Sleep did come, eventually and so did the nightmares. Simon awoke with a start, he jolted up in bed, a cold sweat falling down his forehead. He moved to sit on the edge of the bed, grabbing the sleeping pills off the bed side table. Nothing. Great. He threw the empty pill bottle in the trash.

Laying back down, recognition shown over his face. He understood the message. Simon now knew he was suppose to get better. To face his problem's instead of running away from them. He would change, for his friends and family. He would change.


	4. Naughty

**A/N: This was a prompt I got on tumblr and I decided to post it here as well. Hope you enjoy!**

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Ghost and Roach were huddled in bed with a million blankets. Their heater decided to break in the middle of a very cruel winter. Ghost who was the more handy person of the two, so he tried to fix, eventually failing to do so. Roach thought it was best to call the repair man before Ghost could break it some more. Now they were both in their bed covered in about 5 layers of clothes and about every blanket they owned.

"So when is the bloody repair man coming? I don't think I can live like this anymore." Ghost asked

"Simon, it's only been 5 hours and uh unfortunately he won't be here until tomorrow afternoon."

"Tomorrow? Why can't the wanker come today?"

"Cause he's most likely busy. We're not the only ones having issues you know?"

"I don't care. I wish to be warm" Ghost said while pulling another 2 blankets around him.

"So do I Simon, but we have to be patient. We only have to deal with this today" Gary gave him a reassuring smile which didn't seem to help poor freezing Simon.

They haven't been living in this house for long, just about a year. After the incident with Shepherd, they decided it was time to retire. They ended up buying a 2 bedroom house in Hereford. The extra bedroom was for 'guests' a.k.a Soap every time he was on leave. The house was no where perfect, it needed a lot of work and updating but it was home to them.

Once night came and they decided to go to bed…well Gary decided to go to bed while Simon complained, saying it was too cold to sleep. The only reason Simon even got in bed was because Gary said they could cuddle and their body heat would keep them warm. Every thing was going fine until Gary decided to take off his socks.

"What….what are you doing? Shouldn't you keep those on? Your feet are gonna freeze." Simon asked

"You know I can't sleep with socks on" Gary said

"I think you can make an acception, for tonight at least."

"Nope, unless you want me to grumpy tomorrow," Gary stated

"Ugh fine, just make sure your feet don't touch me. I don't need frost bite because of you." For a bad-ass lieutenant he sure did hate the cold.

The night was going good, Simon stopped complaining about the cold since he was now warm enough…he even fell asleep. Gary on the other hand was still awake, he thought it was a good idea to read a book to pass the time or until he became tired enough to actually fall asleep. That was until Simon moved in his sleep and ended up moving his pant leg up some, Gary noticed and put his book down. What better way to pass the time than to annoying your boyfriend? So Gary decided to act like he was getting comfortable and 'accidentally' brushed his very cold feet over Simon's exposed skin. This woke Simon up automatically, he didn't move though, knowing what Gary was up too. Luckily he wasn't facing him or this wouldn't have worked. Simon put up with Gary for about 5 more minutes before he started to freeze again. Gary on the other hand still didn't know Simon was awake so he went for another 'round' until he heard…..

"GARY I SWEAR TO GOD …TOUCH ME WITH YOUR COLD FEET ONE MORE TIME I'M SLEEPING IN THE GUEST ROOM." Simon yelled.

"I..I didn't think you were up, I was just getting comfortable gees" Gary said

Turning to look at Gary

"No, no you weren't since you've been pulling this shit for 5 mins" Simon stated, clearly annoyed by his boyfriend antics.

"Oh, so you were awake" Gary couldn't help but laugh.

"Yes, yes I was."

"Fine I'm sorry." Gary said.

"I might forgive you if you would put some bloody socks on and come to bed"

Grabbing his socks he threw on the floor and putting them on before he cuddle up next to Simon.

"Better?" Gary asked

"Yes, now come here." Simon said while throwing his arms around Gary and they both drifted off into a dreamless sleep.


	5. Happy Easter

Simon was in the passengers seat, staring out the window. It was a nice spring day out. The weather was just about perfect. He stuck his hand out the window, letting the breeze run through his fingers. They were on their way to Gary's parents house for Easter dinner. Simon has met his parents and even his older brother, but not his extended family that were suppose to be there. He didn't like being around a lot of people. It made him feel uneasy. Letting out a sigh, Gary looked over at him. Seeing the uncertainty on his face made him a little nervous. He knew Simon, better than a lot of people and he knew this wasn't going to be easy on him. "I know you don't want to do this but...thank you, it means a lot." said Gary

Simon gave him a small smile and looked back out the window. They turned the corner of his parents street. The house was the farthest down the street. Simon pulled his hand back in a rolled up the window. The closer they got to the house the more he could see, there weren't many cars parked in front. Maybe not many people were coming and Simon enjoyed that. Gary parked the car and turned towards Simon. "You good?"

Simon sighed and said "I'm good."

They got out of the car and walked up the little brick walkway. It's been a week since Gary and Simon helped Gary's dad with the little project. They were greeted by his mom. "Hey mom." said Gary. He went to hug her. She went to go hugged Simon who was more than happy to oblige. Simon liked his parents, they were the kind of parents he wished he had growing up. Kind, sweet and loving. "Hello Mrs. Sande...Hope."

"I was going to say don't you dare call me Mrs. Sanderson. You're family Simon, you can call me by my name." said Hope

"I'm sorry. Force of habit." said Simon

"It's alright. Why don't we head inside."

Simon and Gary followed Hope inside, as soon as they walked in they smelled the ham cooking in the kitchen. "That smells delicious" said Gary

"Yeah it does." said Simon

Simon looked around and saw that there weren't many people. A small sigh of relief left him, he turned to Hope after Gary left to go talk to some people. "Less people than I thought were going to be here. Gary made it sound like a small platoon was coming."

Hope laughed and said "That's Gary, making things seem bigger than what they are." Hope tugged on Simon's shirt and said "Come help me for a moment. I need to to peel and cut some potatoes while I tend to a few other things."

Simon nodded and followed Hope into the kitchen. The smell of the ham was potent when he walked into the kitchen. It made his stomach growl. He washed his hands before attending to the potatoes. Sitting down at the kitchen table with the trash can between his legs, he started peeling the potatoes. Simon could hear Gary talking with his aunt and uncle from the other room. He was talking about how long he and Simon have been together and how they met. A small smile formed on lips. Simon wished he still had some family to brag about Gary too. His younger brother Tommy would have loved Gary and so would have Joseph. Simon could picture all the trouble Gary would get little Joseph into.

But Gary's family welcomed him with open arms. And he was grateful for that. This was his family now, along with Soap. He was almost done peeling the potatoes when he felt someones arms wrap around his neck. Automatically knowing it was Gary. Gary rested his chin on top of Simon's head. A small chuckle left him. "You know, you could grab a knife and start cutting some potatoes Gary." Gary sighed and sat down in the other chair. He hated the prep of cooking, that's why Gary pretty much bought packaged foods, but that changed when Simon came into his life. They were both cutting away in silence. It took half the time it would have if Simon was doing it alone. After they were done they put the potatoes in the pot and Gary brought it over to the stove. "Thank you dears. I can handle the rest, why don't you go and talk with the rest of the guests." said Hope

Simon and Gary nodded and left the kitchen. Gary grabbed his hand and lead him into the living room and said. "Come on, my aunt and uncle are dying to meet you."

"Alright."

Gary lead Simon over to his aunt and uncle. Meeting new people was always awkward to Simon, he never knew what to say and he sucked at small talk.

"So you're the Simon I've been hearing all about? I'm Dan by the way and this is my wife Claire." said the uncle, holding out his hand for Simon to shake. Which he did.

"Yup, that's me. And nice to meet the both of you."

"You too. So how did you meet my dear old nephew?" asked Dan

"Work. We were roomed together when we were first recruited and things just blossomed from there."

"Ah. So you're S.A.S?"

"Yes I am. I'm actually his Lieutenant."

Simon gave Gary a wink and watched the man start to blush, a small smile forming on his lips.

"A superior? I didn't expect Gary to fall for one of his superiors."

"Neither did I. I'm glad I did though." said Gary

"Me too."

It wasn't long after when they were all sat around the table eating. Everyone was telling stories about embarrassing stuff Gary did in his youth. Simon was laughing and joking with the rest of them. Gary on the other hand was turning red like a tomato, which made Simon laugh even more. The day went way better than Simon expected, and he was happy he came.

Hope was talking about when Gary was afraid of the Easter bunny. No matter how hard she or the camera man tried to make him smile, he would just squirm and cry. It lasted until he was 8. There was one instance when he was 3 where they got a good picture and he didn't throw a tantrum when he saw the Easter bunny. Gary knew Simon wouldn't let him live this down.

Now they were back home, sitting on their bed eating the treats they got and watching a movie before bed. Simon was trying to remember if he had any pictures taken with the Easter bunny. Probably but they all burned years ago. He didn't mind, that was the past. Now he was making new and better memory's with one Sergeant Gary "Roach" Sanderson that he had a pleasure to fall in love with. As long as he had his bug with him, the holidays were more enjoyable!


	6. End Up Here Price x Liz

**Summary: Price finally kills Makarov, now all that's left is for him and Liz to talk about what the future holds.**

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Glass crackled and crunched under Liz's booted feet as she made her way to Price.

The war was finally over, Makarov was finally dead, all thanks to Price. Makarov's death didn't come without a price though, they lost more friends and family they could ever imagine, and now all that was left of Task Force 141 was two people.

Liz stopped at the door, her hand resting on her lower abdomen. She closed her eyes, caresses her thumb over her stomach as a million emotions flooding inside her. Happiness, relief, fear, and love. A moment later she opened them and walked in, seeing Price sitting on the floor having a cigar as he watched Makarov's lifeless body.

She walked over to him,glancing at Makarov's body as she took a seat right next to him, and sighed. "You did it."

"Yeah." He took one last drag of his cigar and flicked it away, never turning his attention to her.

A few seconds later Liz smacked his arm, forcing him to look her way with an offended look on his face. "Don't you dare do something like that again John. We can't afford to lose you too."

"We?"

Tears welled in her eyes, she quickly wiped them away. "I'm pregnant."

His face softened, something she never thought she would see, and he locked eyes with her. "Okay, we should get you checked out and make sure the baby is alright."

Price began to stand up, only to have Liz grab his arm and shake her head. "In a moment, I want to take this in a little more before someone comes to collect the body."

He nodded and sat back down, scrunching his face at the pain in his back. She chuckled, making him glare at her for a brief moment. "What?"

"I think you need to get checked out first, you are the one who ran, leaped and crashed a helicopter than fell down a floor onto your back. You're lucky it's not broken."

"You're the one carrying our child. You should get checked out first."

Liz sighed through her nose, looking over at Makarov's body once more. This was supposed to be a one way trip, she didn't expect to live neither did Price. Yet here they were, alive and with a future to think about.

It was a week after Soap's death where she found herself in Price's bed and every night after that. They were careless back then, all that was on their mind was finding and killing Makarov, not protection. In a way she thought he would freak once she said she was pregnant, only he seems..happy or maybe he knew it would happen eventually.

"I thought you would be upset and maybe even a little angry about this, yet you almost seem a little happy."

"I knew it was going to happen eventually with how careless we both were. We thought we were going to die, we didn't. Now we have a child to worry about."

She gave him a small smile, wiping the tears from her eyes. "I'm surprised you even want it. You don't seem like the man who would want to be a father."

"Things change Liz!" He grabbed her hand, giving it a squeeze. "And you're the only thing I have left in this world."

"We started off as acquaintances, now we're leaving as a family, quite literally. We've been through so much in the past five months and I didn't think I would survive." Her hand came to rest on her stomach, a small smile spreading across her face. "This war took everything from us, yet it gave us a child in return. It doesn't make sense."

Price stood up, offering his hand that she graciously accepted and pulled her up onto her feet. "It doesn't need too."

xXx

Liz and Price were at a nearby hospital getting looked over. Price was fine, minus from the few bruises on his back and he would need to take time off to rest, she was going to hold him to that. Liz on the other hand didn't get injured, a few minor cuts and scrapes, nothing to worry about. Now they were waiting for the ultrasound tech to come in.

She glanced around the room, looking at all the little decor around the room, then settled on Price who was seated in a chair reading a pamphlet of some kind. "I was thinking if we have a boy, we should name him John. After Soap."

He set the pamphlet back and stood up, walking over to her and placed himself between her legs, arms on each side of her. "Will he be a junior?"

"No." She chuckles. "I was thinking his middle name should be Riley, after Ghost. If you're okay with it."

"Johnathon Riley Price. It rolls nicely off the tongue, and I like it." He kissed her forehead, then pulled away. "What if we have a girl?"

"It does roll off the tongue nicely. And I don't know, I'm sure we'll come up with a name."

The door opened a few seconds later, forcing Price to sigh and move to the side to let the ultrasound tech do her job.

Liz laid down, taking Price's hand into hers and gave him a small smile. The nurse came over, moving her shirt up to reveal her stomach. "Before I start, I just want to say there's a good chance the baby might have an irregular heartbeat from what you've just been through…."

"What if it does?" asked Price.

"It's nothing to really worry about, as long as she takes it easy for a few weeks the baby's heartbeat should go back to normal."

Price looked down at her. "She will, I'll make sure of it."

The nurse gave him a soft smile and got the gel and the ultrasound wand. Squirting some of the gel onto her stomach Liz took a deep breath, calming her nerves. She didn't even know why she was nervous to begin with.

Both of their attention was on the monitor as the nurse placed the wand on her stomach. It wasn't long before they heard a heartbeat and they saw the little one on the screen. Tears started to well in her eyes, she wanted to turn to Price but couldn't, her eyes were locked to the screen. Little did she know, his own eyes were glistening as well.

"It looks like the baby is completely healthy, the heartbeat is perfect. You also look to be close to three months along, do you remember your last menstrual cycle?"

"I remember having spotting in November and very little in December, but it was nothing like my actual cycle, which is pretty heavy."

The nurse nodded her head and took the wand off her stomach. "It sounds like you conceived in October, which would explain why you're almost three months along now. That also means your due date is towards the end of July."

"October huh?" She glanced over at Price to see him look away, avoiding her eyes. "Good to know."

The nurse grabbed a towel, taking the gel off her stomach. "I'll get the ultrasound pictures for you and then you're free to go."

"Alright, thank you!" Liz sat up as the nurse left the room, and turned to Price. "I conceived this child when we started having sex. Wow!"

He looked back over at her, slightly narrowing his eyes. "At least we know."

"At last we know." She tapped her fingers on the medical table and sighed. "Please tell me we're going to a hotel after this? I just really want to take a shower and go to bed."

Price sat down on the edge, wrapping his left arm around her waist. "We are. We leave for base tomorrow afternoon."

"Yes I get to sleep in."

The nurse came in seconds later with the ultrasound pictures and handed them to Liz. "You guys are free to go and congratulations!"

"Thank you!" They both said in unison.

She hopped off and stretched, then all three of them headed out the door.

xXx

After a much needed shower, Liz was sitting in bed under the covers looking at the ultrasound photos. She figured she was pregnant before, when she was spotting and truthfully when she told Price she wasn't entirely sure, it could have been just stress. Nope, she was indeed pregnant, in a way it doesn't seem real. Regardless, she was very happy.

Price came out of the bathroom, after taking his shower and sat on the edge of the bed. Liz looked over seeing a softball size bruise along with some cuts from the glass, thinking he was very lucky. A few moments later he got under the covers beside her, scrunching his face at the pain in his back.

"Can I see those?"

"Yeah." She handed him the photos, watching him examine them. "How do you really feel about this John? I know you said you expected this to happen, expecting and having it happen are two different things."

"You almost sound like you want me to be mad about this."

"No." She chuckled. "I'm actually happy you're not. I just still picture us looking for any clues on finding Makarov and when night fell we would go back to your room. Not really caring about anything. Now we're going to be parents' in six months, it doesn't seem real."

"It's very real Liz." He showed her the photos and she glared in return. "After Soap's death I just didn't care anymore, all I wanted was to find Makarov even if I died in the process. Then you came to me after we rescued the Russian president and lost Sandman, that you were afraid of losing me too. I was so angry at the world and Yuri, I never saw what was still in front of me. You!"

Liz's face softened and she softly smiled. "I don't blame you, I would've been the same way if I was in your shoes. And truthfully as long as we were together I didn't care what happened between us. I am very happy with how it turned out. Now I have to tell my 'wonderful' family."

She rolled her eyes and scoffed, that was the last thing she wanted to do.

"I am too! And what? They won't like who the father is?" He set the photos down between them, and sighed.

"My father is emotionally abusive and neglectful, only to me though. My brothers' were the prodigy of the family, I was just the disgrace. I never did anything right in his eyes and I'm sure getting pregnant by my captain is on the list of things I'm capable of doing."

He clenched his right hand and his jaw, feeling his blood boil like it did when he found out Yuri knew Makarov seconds before Soap left this world. .

"I would very much like to meet him someday. What about your mum?"

She shook her head. "She died before I was two. Car crash."

He nodded. "What about these brothers' of yours? Are they like your father?"

"Hesh is, he always wanted to be like dad." She sat up, placing her hands in her lap. "Logan isn't, he seemed to be the only one that actually cared about me. We were the closest growing up. But my dad always encouraged us to join the military and had us go through ridiculous tasks, like finding our own food and water, and shelter. I tagged along until I started thinking for myself and decided military life was not for me." She scoffed. "I could be getting my PHD in astrophysics right now, but nope. I joined the Army at seventeen because I knew my accomplishments wouldn't mean a damn thing to him."

Price scoffed and shook his head. "He's a wanker. Now the war is over, maybe you can go for that PHD now?"

"Another lifetime. It would take me away from being the parent I want to be." She yawned, grabbing the ultrasound photos and putting them on the nightstand. "Besides I haven't felt passionate about it in years."

Liz fixed her pillow than laid down, waiting for him to do the same. Only he didn't, he stayed where he wasn't."You're not coming to bed?"

"Not yet, you get some sleep. You both need the rest."

"Oh alright." She turned on her side, away from him and let out a small sigh, then closed her eyes.

xXx

It was the middle of the night and Price couldn't sleep, his mind was reeling. He killed Makarov, ending this war and avenging Soap's death. He should be happy and in a way he was, yet the only thing in this world that made him truly happy again was the young woman sleeping in bed beside him, and the child she is now carrying.

His thumb traced over the pictures, a small smile spreading across his face. Then he placed the pictures back on the nightstand and laid down, wrapping his arms around her and pulled her against him. He has no idea how to be a father or if he would even be a good one, all he knows about is military life and what to do in a fight. Now he was responsible for another life, another life that only came to be because of his carelessness.

It wasn't that long ago where he sacrificed himself to make sure an injured Soap and the rest of the team got out. Now they were all gone, the only people in the world he considered family. Only the universe gave him another one instead. He didn't understand, thinking he was the last man on earth who deserved love and a child, yet he got them both. All because of a Corporal named Liz.


	7. Price x Liz - Requested

_**184\. "We'll lose." - "Then we'll do that together too."**_

Death was a part of war, you don't need to like it, you just needed to accept it. And death was following Liz and Price like a shadow in the night, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.

First it was Ghost and Roach - Liz blames herself for their deaths. Her and Roach both got injured by mortar fire and luckily enough the injuries made them hear Price's radio hail about not trusting Shepherd. Ghost was smart, he made sure Liz stayed back with the DSM while he and Roach went to the 'extraction point'. It didn't matter, Shepherd still shot them both, and lit them up. All Liz could do was watch in horror as her friends burned alive.

Then it was Soap. That was the first time she ever saw Price so shaken up, it damn seemed impossible. That was also when they found out about Yuri's past friendship with Makarov. Liz still thinks Soap should have jumped out of the building first, leaving Yuri to his own, he was a liability anyways, and he got Soap killed. And then it was Team Metal of Delta.

Price knew Sandman from years back and from the short time Liz was with him, he seemed like a good man. And he and the rest of Team Metal sacrificed themselves to save them and the Russian president.

It's been two long months since that happened, and with no intel on the whereabouts of Makarov, it left with little to nothing for Liz and Price to do but to find clues. So far absolutly fucking nothing.

Even though the one-four-one was reinstated Price still liked using Nikolai's safe-houses rather than one of the one-four-ones. Liz knew it was paranoia, but didn't want to say anything.

After a long, boring day Liz was out on a balcony, watching the sunset. She could hear Price talking with Nikolai and Yuri below her, or well yelling at Yuri and talking normally with Nikolai. Ever since Soap told him about Yuri knowing Makarov, Price's trust for him has plummeted.

She tuned them out and looked over the horizon, seeing the yellow and orange blended sky. Night time was both a blessing and a curse. A blessing since she knew she would be getting Price all to herself, and a warm bed. Yet it was a curse because it was another day without her friends. Friends that should be alive right now. She still had Price and she'll always be thankful for that...for him.

"I figured you would be out here."

Liz turned her head to see Price walking over to her, leaning against the balcony railing that she was sitting on.

Neither one said anything, both just watching the sunset in front of them. Price stood up a little straighter, glancing over at Liz and sighed through his nose. Things haven't been the greatest, for the most part things were horrendous. He lost enough of his team in the short amount of time he's been back, and in a fucked up way he's accepted it. But he's not going to lose her, not the one thing in his life that makes him happy. He won't let Makarov get his hands on Liz.

"I think you should go back to your old squad."

She turned her head to him, narrowing her eyes, and heavily sighed. "We already went over this John, I'm not leaving."

"Can you do this one thing for me? Please?"

Tears started to well in her eyes, blurring her vision. "I can't, I won't." She wiped them with her the back of her hand and sniffled, seeing the disbelief look on Price's face. "I just can't."

"Liz you have a chance at surviving this, to live your life, to see your family again. And you don't want to take it, why?"

"Yeah I'm not keen on going back to my abusive family, the family that never gave two shits about me." She exhaled a shaky breath, looking down at her hands in her lap. "I never belonged in the Ghosts, I was always in the shadows and then I got transferred over to the one-four-one and I finally felt this was where I was meant to be." She averted her eyes back to him, seeing him listening to her. "I've lost everyone I care about except for you. Now don't tell me I'd be better off with my abusive family because the truth is I can't lose the last thing in this fucked up world that makes me happy. We're going to find and kill Makarov together John, together."

Price blinked his eyes a few times, contemplating everything she just said. Liz was never one to show her emotions well, for the most part she kept them inside. The first time he saw her lose that facade was after Soap's death, then it was when she confessed about being afraid of losing him too, and now this. He was now realizing the sex they were having wasn't just sex to her, it was an escapism, an escape of the fucked up world they live in and an excuse to spend alone time with him. How could he be so blind?

"We'll lose."

"Then we'll do that together too."

He took a few steps to the side, gently grabbing one of her hands and squeeze it. "So, you, me and Yuri are going to find and kill Makarov? I'd rather it just be us killing the bastard."

Liz laughed, and tugged him closer to her so she could give him a chaste kiss. "I find it adorable how much you hate him now, I mean it's justified but still adorable."

"How can I not love? He should have told us about knowing Makarov, we shouldn't have found out about it through Soap's dying words."

"I agree he should have told us from the beginning, it's in the past now. All we can do now is find Makarov and send him back to whichever part of hell he climbed out of. Afterwards, who knows. That's if we survive of course."

He grabbed her hand, tugging her out of her spot and lead her to the door. "Where are we going?"

"To our room."

"Our?"

Price stopped in his tracks and turned to her, brow raised. "We've been sharing a bed for two months now, you could easily go back to your own after we're done, you don't. Yes it's our room."

"Okay lead the way." A smile started tugging at her face, she never considered it their room, just his. Hearing him say it made her heart flutter.

He pulled her down the hall, and into their room. It wasn't much, just a bed, a dresser and their gear laid out across it. Still it was a place to sleep.

Liz let go of his hand and sat down on the bed with a sigh, feeling the blanket underneath her finger tips. The bed that housed many good memories, and she was going to miss it.

He joined her a moment later, taking a seat right next to her. "If we do survive, I'm the commander of the one-four-one now and I'm going to need someone to help me out. The jobs yours if you want it?"

"Yes! Oh my god yes." She chuckled and shook her head at her happy outburst. "Besides you couldn't get rid of me that easily."

"I know love, I know." He rolled his eyes, only to leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "Good, you're the only person I trust to have it."

She laughed and shrugged her shoulders, it would take a hell of a lot to make her go somewhere he wasn't, he'll just have to deal with her being with him. Though she could tell he wasn't that upset by it, he enjoyed her company both on and off the field, and now they were going to take down Makarov once and for all.

"Captain John Price and Corporal Elizabeth Walker leading Task Force One-Four-One. I like the sound of that."

"Not quite." He stood up, going over to a file of papers and pulled the top one out. "It's Captain John Price and Captain Elizabeth Walker who will be leading the one-four-one."

Liz snatched the paper from his hands and read it as fast as she could, then looked up at him with her mouth slightly gaping. "I'm a Captain?"

"Yes you are!" He took his spot next to her, hand resting on her thigh. "Since we rescued the Russian President and the one-four-one was reinstated I pulled some strings to make you a Captain."

"Okay who did you yell at?" She smiled and looked down at the paper, then back to him. "I'm kidding, kinda. Thank you John, seriously this means the world."

"You deserved it."

She stood up, placing the piece of paper on top of the file and walked over to the door and locked it. Price watched her walk back over to him, straddling his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I think we should celebrate."

He easily flipped their position, gazing into her brown, toffee colored eyes. "I was hoping you would say that."

Liz scoffed then crushed their lips together, their night was only beginning.


	8. Price x Liz - Requested - 2

_**200: "He loves you, you know? He's just afraid of admitting it."**_

The cool fall wind ruffled the loose strands of hair on Liz's face as she got out of the car. Price wanted to visit the clock-tower and since little Johnny was now four months old, they both decided it was the perfect time.

Liz grabbed the baby carrier and clipped it around her waist before she opened the back seat to the car. Johnny was wide awake and kneading the blanket that was covering him. She feels like she might have gone overboard with the layers but infants can't regulate their body temperature and she just wanted him to be warm in this cold England weather.

"There's my handsome little man!" She smiled down at him as she moved the blanket off of him to get him out of his car-seat. "Did you have a good nap?"

"By the content look on his face I'd say he did." said Price from behind her.

He helped her clip the last part of the baby carrier, making sure it was snug enough for the little one. He looked down at him with a smile on his face, then leaned down to kiss his forehead.

"I can't believe he slept through me changing him and the car ride. Either way he does look very content and happy." She closed the car door and let out a content sigh then turned to Price. "Are you sure you want to go through with this? You barely talk about them and now, out of the blue want to see the clock-tower."

He heavily sighed, looking out over to the tip of the clock-tower that they could see from the parking lot. "Can't run away from the past forever love. You seemed to have moved past what happened."

"That is true." She took his hand into hers and they started to make their way towards the clock-tower. "What else can I do? Wallow in my own sorrow? We can't change the past, all we can do is accept it and move on the best we can. It also helps that I have this little cutie to help keep me occupied." She smiled down at Johnny and kissed his forehead. "And you of course."

"Be angry like I am." He stopped in his tracks and looked down at her, his blue eyes conveying a mix of emotions. "Soap's dead because of me, hell you could have died too. All because I wanted Makarov."

"No, Soap would have followed you to the end of the Earth, as would I. His death is not on you, it's on Makarov. I was angry at the beginning, thinking it wasn't fair that they died and we just keep on living. I'm not sure if I believe in a higher power or if things really do happen for a reason, but I can't help but wonder if we didn't lose everyone we care about, would we be here right now, with a son? He really is the best thing to ever happen to me and I can't picture my life without him, or you for that matter."

Price's face softened upon her gaze, he never believed in a higher power, not like Soap did. Even then it sometimes seemed like Soap's faith would waiver after certain events happened. He couldn't help but wonder if Liz was right, if certain things didn't happen, like losing everyone they care about, would they be together right now with a son? That was a question they would never get answered. And she was right about Soap, he would have followed him to the ends of the Earth with no questions asked. He just wishes he could go back in time and not be so hellbent on killing Makarov.

"I guess we'll never know for sure."

Liz gave him a small smile and they continued on until they got to the clock-tower. It was bittersweet to see so many names inscribed. But this was a stepping stone for him, maybe next time he'll actually go to their graves.

"I'm going to sit down on the bench over there, you take your time."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, why wouldn't I be?"

He lifted and dropped his shoulders. "I don't know. I won't be long."

"Alright." She gave him a quick peck on the lips before they went their separate ways.

Liz sat down on the bench with a sigh, checking on Johnny who was content where he was just sucking away on his pacifier.

The weather wasn't too bad for early December, it was still cold and there was some snow on the ground but overall it wasn't too bad. Liz was just happy to have a winter be winter with snow and everything, not how it is in southern California.

She looked over at the tower seeing Price looked for the names of his fallen brothers'. He didn't talk about Soap much, but he has talked about Gaz, his former Lieutenant. From what she's heard about him, she would have loved to meet him, he seemed like a nice, funny guy.

"I see he's finally got the courage to come to the clock-tower."

Liz looked over when she heard that familiar Scottish accent. "Hi Mac."

Mac gave her a small smile and took a seat next to her. "Hi Liz, and Johnny. I wasn't expecting to see you guys here if I'm honest."

"Wasn't expecting to be here, it was a last minute decision on John's part." She gave him a small smile. "I'm just here for support."

"I'm sure he's happy to have his family with him." He smiled down at Johnny, caressing his cheek with his index finger. "In all my years I've known him, I never thought he would have a family. Here we are."

"I hate to think like this ...sometimes I wonder if he actually wants to be a father or have a family. He gets so distant sometimes and it makes me question it."

" _He loves you, you know? He's just afraid of admitting it."_

"Why?" She glanced over at Price who was searching for a name. "He knows that I love him."

"Liz?" She turned her attention back to Mac, seeing the unsure look on his face. "He doesn't think he deserves it. After everything he's done why does he deserve the love of a woman and a child? John might feel like he doesn't deserve you, but he's more afraid of losing you than anything."

"After everything we've been through, who does he think I'll have shared life experiences with? I know our relationship started off strictly as sex, we thought we were going to die so why not get some pleasure out of beforehand. We were careless and I got pregnant, we're making it work."

"Have you told him that you love him?"

She looked away and shook her head. "Not yet. Love is a touchy subject for me."

"I think you should tell him, maybe it'll help straighten his own inner demons out."

"Yeah you're probably right." She gave him a small smile and looked back over at Price. "Can't wait to see the look on his face."

Mac laughed and clapped her shoulder. "I'm sure it'll be quite a shock for him."

Price looked over to see Liz talking with Mac, he raised his brow and walked over to them, taking a seat next to her. "I wasn't expecting to see you here."

"I was more shocked to see you here son."

"It was time that I came." He wrapped his arm around Liz's waist. "Couldn't have done it without these two."

She turned to look at him, a small smile on her face and gave him a quick peck on the lips.

"I told you having a family was worth it John."

"Yeah."

Mac laughed and stood up. "I'll leave you two to go back to your business."

"Alright." They both said in unison.

Price moved his arm from her waist to around her shoulders and she snuggled into him. Enjoying the fall weather in Hereford. As they watched people walk by or go see the clock-tower, Liz would occasionally check on Johnny who was still happy and content where he was.

"So many names, it's hard to think we could be up there."

"Mmm." He nodded his head. "We're not and that what's important."

"Yeah." She maneuvered herself to look at him. "Are you ready to go or do you want more time?"

"No, we can go."

Liz nodded her head and they both stood up and headed for the car.

 **xXx**

Liz was walking down the stairs after putting Johnny to bed for the night, Price was in the kitchen doing the dishes from dinner. She walked in, wrapping her arms around his waist and laid her head against his back.

"You know I love you, right?"

He dropped the dish in his hand, having clank against the others still in the sink. "What was that love?"

She let go of him, tugging on his arm to make him turn and look at her. "I love you John and I think it was about time I said it."

Price grabbed her hand, caressing the smooth skin with his thumb, then leaned down to kiss her. This time more passionately. "I love you too Liz. I should have said it long ago, you know I'm not good with words."

"No, love is a touchy subject for the both of us. That's all." She reached out behind him to shut the running water off. "How about you make us some hot chocolate and we watch a Christmas movie on the couch?"

He rolled his eyes and smiled. "Whipped cream or marshmallows?"

"Whipped cream, duh."

She went to walk away to pick out a movie, only Price grabbed her hand and pulled her into another kiss. He pulled away after a moment, gazing into her brown eyes.

"I love you Liz and thank you, for everything!"


End file.
